Fan



J. H. COHEN March-2, 194s.

FAN

Filed ApI il 23, 1940 Patented Mar. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES FAN Joseph H. Cohen, Bridgeport, Casco Products Corporation,

Conn., assignor to Bridgeport, Conn,

a corporation of Connecticut Application April 23,

1940, Serial No. 331,099

3 Claims. (c1. ze -259) This invention relates to fans, and, more particularly, to a multiple fan construction having a plurality of relatively adjustable fans driven from a single shaft.

The device of the present invention has been illustrated as having rubber or-fiexible blades and particularly adapted to be mounted adjacent a windshield of a motor vehicle for defrosting purposes, but the invention in its broadest aspects is not limited to such a construction and use.

Fans having blades of rubber or other'flexible material have been proposed heretofore for use as defrosting units for Windshields of motor-vehicles, but generally these previously proposed fans have consisted of a single fan secured to the shaft of the motor mounted contiguous to V the portion of the windshield in front of the drivers position. A fan so mounted circulated air against the windshield directly in front of the driver and maintained visibility through that portion of the windshield. Such a fan circulated very little air, however, against other portions of the windshield, and, consequently, the driver's vision under adverse driving conditions, was limited to that portion of the windshield against which air was directed. v

To obviate this hazard, devices have been proposed in which a plurality of relatively adjustable-fans, supported by a single bracket or the like adjacent the windshield, circulated air over the entire windshield.

The device of the present invention comprises a plurality of relatively adjustable fans each having aishaft radially extending about and coupled to a shaft driven by a motor or the like adapted to be adjustahly mounted to a support adjacent the windshield.

A feature of the present invention is the manner in which the plurality of fans are mounted for relative adjustment, but yet are driven from a single shaft.

. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, a suitable motor, having a'shaft projecting from one end thereof and driven'thereby, carries a casing provided with a plurality of slots in which the fan shafts ride for angular relative adjustment. The motor shaft carries driving means frictionallyengaging and cooperable with similar means carried by an end of each fan shaft to the.

end that the fan shafts are frictionally driven by the motor shaft. i

The drive'means carried by the motor shaft comprises a flanged sleeve member coaxially carried by and secured to the projecting end of the motor shaft, the flange of the sleeve seating a spring acting against a sleeve having a bevelled disk depending thereon and cooperable with a pair of similar disks carried by the inner ends of the fan shafts. The sleeve carrying the fric- 'tion disk is loosely disposed about the sleeve I fixed to the endof the fan shaft and is permitted movement longitudinally of the sleeve, although it isv coupled to the sleeve for rotation therewith. Another feature of the present invention is the means by which the fan shafts are supported by the casing, which meansalso serves to hold the tan shafts against accidental movement and in a desired adjusted position,

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing; Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the device .of the present, invention with portions of the device shown in section.

i Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1. 7

As shown in the accompanying drawing, the present invention comprises a motor I0 driving a shaft ll projecting from one end thereof. A casing I2 is secured to the top face of the motor m by suitable screws Ho and supports a pair' of rubber orfiexible bladed fans I 3 secured to shafts I i-extending radially of the motor shaft I I. Each z'shaft I4 is provided with a bearing l5 held by a bearing sleeve [6- supported within elongate slots ll formed in the annular wall of the casing l2.

The bearin .sleeve is disposed in each slot I! with laterally projecting wing members I8 car rried by each sleeve engaging the outer surface of the annular wall of the casing l2. The wing members are curved to conform to the periphery of the wall and of a size to cover the slots H to preclude entry of dirt or the like into the casing 12. 1

The inner ends of each bearing sleeve I6 are threaded and take a rubber disk I9 and a spacing washer 20 having a face shaped to conform to the periphery of the casing l2 and adapted to hold the flexible rubber disk against the inner surface of the casing wall. The disk and washer are mounted to the inner wall of the casing 12 by a nut 2i threaded onto the end of each sleeve l6.

If desired, each bearing sleeve l6 may contain a lubricant-filled pad 22 for lubricating its respective shaft H.

The shafts M are driven by "the motor shaft II and to this end the motor shaft carries a sleeve 2.3 suitably secured as by friction fit to the end of the shaft I]. The sleeve 23 is provided with a flange 24 seating a coil spring 25 acting against an annular shoulder 21 formed in the bore of a sleeve 28 loosely disposed about the sleeve 23.

The s1eeve28 is keyed to sleeve 23 by a pin 23a having the opposite ends thereof riding in slots 29 formed in the bore of the sleeve 28. The

sleeve 28 has a depending bevelled disk 30 en--.

gaging similarly shaped disks 3| carried by the inner ends of the fan shafts M. The disks 3| are spaced from the end of the bearing sleeves It by to some suitable support adjacent the windshield and preferably at a point midway of the same by means of a bracket, not shown, but secured to the motor II] by a universal connection.

Accordingly, the motor l0 carries-a bracket 33 housing a ball 34 held in a socket 35 by an enlarged rubber washer or pad 36 carried by the bracket 33 which is held to the motor If! by suitable screws 31. The motor l0, once the bracket, not shown, has been suitably mounted, may be adjusted so that the same extends in a substantially vertical position whereupon the left-hand fan I3 may be angularly adjusted relative to the axis of the motor shaft sothat it will circulate air over the portion of the windshield in front of the driver. The right-hand fan' is then adjusted and moved relative to its slot to a position to direct airagainstthat portion of the windshield which lies in front of the seat next to the driver.

The fans, once adjusted, will be held in the desired adjusted position as the rubber disks l9. are held against the inner surface of the annular wall of the casing I! by the washers and nuts 2|. The one face of the disks are tightly held against the inner surface of the casing for .each washer 20 has a face engaging its respective disk shaped as to cause the disks to conform to the periphery of the annular wall of the casing.

The frictional engagement between the inner surfaces of the annular wall and the rubber disks l9 will hold the fans in the desired adjusted position, but yet will permit the fans to be manually moved to some other position if desired.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. In a device of the type described, a motor including a shaft driven thereby; a pair of shafts radially extending about said motor shaft; a fan secured to the outerend of each of said radially extending shafts; a bearing sleeve disposed about each fan shaft; a casing fixed to said motor and having a pair of elongate slots in the walls thereof for receiving said bearing sleeves, the edges of each slot supporting a bearing sleeve;,a friction member carried by each bearing sleeve; releasable means secured to each bearing sleeve for locking the sleeve in the slot and for positively clamping the friction member against the inner surface of the wall of said casing, said means being adjustable to vary the clamping pressure on the friction member to alter the frictional engagement of said member on said wall and holding said sleeves against accidental movement; and means for coupling the inner ends of said fan shafts to the motor shaft for rotation therewith, the coupling means permitting the bearing sleeves to be severally and jointly moved in said slots for angular adjustments relative to the ,axis of the motor shaft, whereby the fans may be disposed at different angular positions on the motor casing.

2. In a device of the type described, a motor including a shaft driven thereby; a pair of shafts radially extending about said motor shaft; a fan secured to the outer end of each of said radially extending shafts; a bearing sleeve disposed about each fan shaft; a casing fixed to said motor and having a pair of elongate slots in the walls thereof for receiving said bearing sleeves, the edges of each slot supporting a bearing sleeve; friction means carried by each of the bearing sleeves and engaging the inner surface of the wall of the casing with suflicient pressure to hold the bearing sleeves in adjusted angular position in said slots; means for coupling the inner ends of said fan shafts to the motor shaft for rotation therewith comprising a pair of beveled friction disks carried by the inner ends of said fan shafts; a sleeve fixed to the end of said motor shaft for rotation therewith; a sleeve loosely disposed about said first-named sleeve; means for coupling the last-named sleeve to-the first-named sleeve for rotation therewith but permittin longitudinal movement thereon; a flange carried by said first-named sleeve; a spring seating on said flange and disposed within the bore of said lastnamed sleeve, said spring being confined against radial and axial deformation by the two sleeves; and a beveled friction disk axially depending from said last-named sleeve, the spring acting against said last-named sleeve and normally urging said sleeve longitudinally outward of the first-named sleeve and the beveled surface of the disk carried thereby into good frictional engagement with 'the beveled friction disks carried by the fan shafts to apply a force thereto having a component in the direction of said fan shafts in all adjusted positions of said fan shafts to drive said fans.

3. In a device of the type described, a motor including a shaft driven thereby; a pair of shafts radially extending about said motor shaft; a fan secured to the outer end of each of said radially extending shafts; a bearing sleeve disposed about each fan shaft; a casing fixed to said motor and having a .pair of elongate slots in the walls thereof for receiving said bearing sleeves, the edges of each slot supporting a bearing sleeve; friction means carried by the bearing sleeve and engaging the inner surface of the wall of the casing with suflicient pressure to hold the bearing sleeves in adjusted angular position in said slots; means for coupling the inner ends of said fan shafts to the motor shaft for rotation therewith comprising a beveled friction driving member mounted on the motor shaft for rotation therewith, and a beveled friction driven member fixed on the inner end of each of the fan shafts to engage the beveled driving member; and spring means for urging the Y beveled members together to apply to the driven member a force thereto having a component in the direction of the radially extending fan shafts, the spring being placed under compression and maintaining the driven member in good driving engagement with the driving member in all ad- 

